Maria Kang made headlines a few years ago when she posted a controversial pic with a message that ticked off more than a few people. In the viral photo, the mom showed off her incredibly toned body in workout clothes while posing with her three children. The message on the photo? "What's your excuse?"

Kang seemed to be making a polarizing point: That if she, a mom of three who had given birth just eight months before the photo was taken, could get that enviable body, anyone could.

While it's great that Kang is so committed to her healthy lifestyle and regular workouts, we can absolutely understand why so many people felt she was body shaming the countless moms out there who work so hard but can't seem to look quite the way she did in her photo. We've said it once and we'll say it again: There are so many factors that determine how your body looks after baby—it's not fair to suggest we could all look like Kang if we just stopped making excuses.

But Kang's story took a surprising turn: The mother of three recently came out and admitted that she's gained 10 pounds.

Kang spoke to PEOPLE and shared a much more inclusive message. "Beauty is in our minds and is reflected in the eyes of the people who truly love you. It doesn’t matter if you are skinny, fit, overweight or obese, if you don’t live in gratitude, you will never see what you truly have and who you truly are," she said.

Kang also told the magazine she's struggled with lack of motivation and marital issues, and while she insisted that she's not apologizing for the original photo, it sounds like she's grasped the idea that life happens, and sometimes it gets in the way of maintaining a squeaky-clean, active lifestyle.

"Despite gaining weight, I am unapologetically still healthy. I have always celebrated women's fitness at every size, shape, and age. I have never said there are no excuses," Kang wrote in a recent Facebook post. "My message is that fitness should be A priority (not your first or only as many of my critics have stated). Do I have more excuses now than years before? My challenges are different. Years before I gave birth three years in a row and cared for these tiny humans without much help while starting my second business. Today, I have three active kids, 3 businesses, a no excuse mom organization and personal setbacks."

How do you feel about what she's saying now? While she stands by her original viral photo, she seems to have realized that sometimes "excuses" are actually valid reasons. Do you agree with her point?